Inciensa

What Inciensa does

Inciensa (Instituto Costarricense de Investigación y Enseñanza en Nutrición y Salud) is a Costa Rican government public health institution established in 1977 by Law 6088 and reformed by Law 8270 in 2002, attached to the Ministry of Health and headquartered in Tres Ríos, Cartago. Originally founded as a child malnutrition treatment center in 1963, it evolved into a national institute with eight National Reference Centers (CNR) covering bacteriology, virology, mycobacteriology, parasitology, clinical chemistry, food microbiology, bromatology, and entomology, plus specialized laboratories for genomics and molecular biology (LGBM, 2018) and enteric viruses (LVE, 2021). Its core technology platform spans molecular biology, genomic sequencing (next-generation sequencing), accredited testing under INTE-ISO 17025:2017 and INTE/ISO/IEC 17043:2010, and a unique regional Biosafety Level 3 laboratory inaugurated in 2012 for tuberculosis and environmental mycobacteria diagnostics.

The institute's product surface comprises laboratory-based epidemiological surveillance (VEBL), a catalog of laboratory testing services (Inciensa-R40), proficiency testing programs (Inciensa-R80), regulatory compliance verification (food safety, tobacco), educational training, and entomological surveillance. Core AI/process automation tools include CoVEx, a SARS-CoV-2 mutation explorer for variant identification. INCIENSA serves as the national focal point for WHO Collaborating Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance, ReLAVRA, and SIREVA II international surveillance networks, and participates in PAHO/COMISCA regional genomic surveillance.

The revenue model is government budget allocation as a public institution, supplemented by laboratory testing services delivered to public health services (CCSS), private health services, and the Organismo de Investigación Judicial through direct institutional agreements. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The institute operates a direct enterprise field sales motion to government and institutional buyers exclusively within Costa Rica, with 24/7 sample reception. As a state entity governed by a five-member Technical Council appointed by the Minister of Health, INCIENSA has no private shareholders, no external investors, and is funded through Costa Rica's national public budget.

Name

Inciensa

Legal name

Instituto Costarricense de Investigación y Enseñanza en Nutrición y Salud

Website

https://inciensa.sa.cr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Inciensa is a Costa Rican government public health institute that operates eight National Reference Centers providing laboratory-based epidemiological surveillance, specialized diagnostics, and proficiency testing to the Ministry of Health, CCSS, and authorized health institutions in Costa Rica.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Laboratory Services

NAICS

Medical Laboratories (621511)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro primary industry

Microbiology & Infectious Disease Testing Laboratories (HLAFAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Laboratory Quality Systems, Accreditation & Proficiency Testing Programs (HLAJAIAM), Public Health Laboratories & Diagnostic Oversight (BPAIAJAF), Health, Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Regulatory Cooperation (BPADANAJ)

Keywords

• Public health laboratory
• Epidemiological surveillance
• Clinical chemistry testing
• National reference centers
• Food safety testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Tres Ríos, Cartago

HQ country

Costa Rica

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Budget Allocation: INCIENSA is a public institution of the Costa Rican Government, financed through public budget allocations as an entity attached to the Ministry of Health.
2. Laboratory Testing Services: Provides specialized laboratory testing services to public and private health services, with results remitted to the requesting health establishment. Services include diagnostic testing, confirmatory tests, typing and subtyping of pathogens.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Inciensa operates as Costa Rica's national public health institute, delivering specialized laboratory diagnostic testing, laboratory-based epidemiological surveillance, and reference services through eight National Reference Centers (CNRs) and specialized laboratories. The institute provides a comprehensive catalog of laboratory assays (Inciensa-R40), accredited proficiency testing programs (Inciensa-R80), regulatory compliance verification for food and tobacco, and genomic surveillance, serving CCSS, the Ministry of Health, and the Organismo de Investigación Judicial.

Product overview

Inciensa is a Costa Rican public health institute that operates as a unified platform of specialized laboratory and surveillance services rather than a single product. The core offerings include laboratory-based epidemiological surveillance (VEBL) coordinated through eight Centros Nacionales de Referencia (CNR), proficiency testing programs (Inciensa-R80), and a comprehensive catalog of laboratory tests (Inciensa-R40). These are supported by specialized laboratories for genomics, enteric viruses, entomology, and regulatory compliance verification. Educational services including virtual and in-person courses complement the research and surveillance functions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vigilancia Epidemiológica Basada en Laboratorio (VEBL) Laboratory-based epidemiological surveillance service that uses laboratory-generated information to understand the behavior of health conditions and causative agents, organized through the National Reference Centers for public health decision-making.
• Centros Nacionales de Referencia (CNR) Network of National Reference Centers that conduct laboratory-based epidemiological surveillance of microbial agents and other public health events, providing specialized diagnosis, confirmatory testing, typing, and subtyping of pathogens across bacteriology, virology, mycobacteriology, parasitology, clinical chemistry, food microbiology, bromatology, and entomology.
• Inciensa-R40 (Oferta de ensayos de laboratorio) Comprehensive catalog of laboratory testing services offered by INCIENSA, including diagnostic tests for human samples, food, and products of sanitary interest, delivered to public and private health institutions.
• Inciensa-R80 (Programas de Ensayos de Aptitud - PEA) Accredited proficiency testing programs that evaluate the performance of clinical and food testing laboratories through external quality assessment, including the PEEDQC program for clinical chemistry analytes.
• Enseñanza y Capacitación
• Vigilancia Entomológica Medical entomological surveillance service focusing on disease vectors including mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and triatomines, delivered through the Centro Nacional de Referencia de Entomología (CNRE).
• Vigilancia Epidemiológica Especializada Specialized epidemiological surveillance service delivered through the Unidad de Enfermedades Congénitas y Enfermedades Raras (UECER) and the Unidad de Salud Oral (USO), covering congenital anomalies, rare diseases, and oral health surveillance at the national level.
• Verificación del Cumplimiento de la Normativa Regulatory compliance verification services including food safety testing, tobacco product testing (Ley 9028), and microbiological safety of foods delivered through specialized laboratories (CNR Bromatología, Laboratorio de Tabaco y Sus Derivados, CNRIMA).
• Laboratorio de Genómica y Biología Molecular (LGBM) Genomics and molecular biology laboratory conducting next-generation genomic sequencing for pathogen characterization and surveillance, including SARS-CoV-2 variant identification and tracking via the CoVEx tool.
• Laboratorio de Virus Entéricos (LVE) Enteric virus laboratory delivering laboratory-based epidemiological surveillance of noroviruses and rotaviruses responsible for acute diarrheal disease in children under five years of age.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 95% national birth coverage for congenital anomalies surveillance
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PAHO/COMISCA - SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Surveillance CollaborationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 June 2025Collaborative genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 across Central America and the Dominican Republic (February 2020 to January 2023), demonstrating regional coordination through PAHO and COMISCA frameworks.
• CONIS (Consejo Nacional de Investigación en Salud)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021INCIENSA's Comité Ético Científico (CEC) has been accredited before CONIS since 2021, ensuring ethical oversight of research conducted at the institution.
• World Health Organization (WHO) - Centro Colaborador en Resistencia a los AntimicrobianoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINCIENSA's CNR Bacteriología serves as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance, participating in global surveillance networks and contributing to international antimicrobial resistance monitoring efforts.
• ReLAVRA (Red Latinoamericana de Vigilancia de la Resistencia a los Antimicrobianos)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINCIENSA is the national focal point for ReLAVRA, the Latin American Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network, contributing data and participating in regional surveillance activities.
• SIREVA II (Sistema de Redes de Vigilancia de los Agentes Bacterianos responsables de Neumonía y Meningitis)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINCIENSA participates in SIREVA II, contributing to regional surveillance of bacterial agents causing pneumonia and meningitis.
• ECA (Ente Costarricense de Acreditación)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINCIENSA's laboratories maintain accreditation through ECA according to INTE-ISO 17025:2017 standards, demonstrating technical competence for testing and calibration.
• Dirección General de Servicio CivilcoreOthersINCIENSA is governed by the Civil Service Directorate for human resources matters, including salary scales and position evaluations for civil service positions.
• MIDEPLAN (Ministerio de Planificación)minorOthersINCIENSA's strategic and operational planning follows MIDEPLAN methodologies and guidelines for result-based management.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves25 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Instituto de Diagnóstico y Referencia Epidemiológicos (INDRE): Mexican national reference and diagnostic epidemiological laboratory under the Secretary of Health, performing confirmatory testing, pathogen typing, and proficiency testing — closely mirroring Inciensa's CNR and PEA functions.
• Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud (ANLIS): Argentine network of national health institutes coordinating reference laboratories for infectious diseases, genomics, and food safety. Comparable in structure and multi-institute reference laboratory role.
• Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz): Brazilian Ministry of Health-affiliated public health research and reference laboratory institute operating multiple national reference centers for infectious diseases, AMR, and genomics. Closest analog to Inciensa in scale and mandate across Latin America.
• Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile (ISP): Chilean public health reference institute accredited under ISO 17025, providing reference testing, food safety, and proficiency testing programs. Directly comparable to Inciensa in mandate and quality system orientation.
• Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS) Colombia: Colombian national public health reference laboratory network coordinating bacteriological, virological, and parasitological surveillance under the Ministry of Health. Comparable to Inciensa in role, governance model, and CNR-style organization.
• Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud (Gorgas Institute): Panamanian public health research institute providing reference laboratory and epidemiological surveillance services. Comparable in Central American context and reference-lab mandate to Inciensa.

Others

• Pan American Health Organization (PAHO): WHO regional office for the Americas that Inciensa collaborates with through COMISCA genomic surveillance and AMR networks. Adjacent international organization rather than direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Largest national public health agency in the U.S., operating the premier reference laboratory network for infectious diseases. Overlaps with Inciensa's reference-testing and surveillance mission but at vastly greater scale and scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inciensa

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Inciensa